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Yamato
| region = East in the Land of the Living Shared borders with: *Aison (south) *Libaterra (north) | languages = | races = | ethnic groups = | demonym = Yamatian | religion = ---- | factions = | government = | head of state = Head of state | leader1 = ---- | head of government = Notable leaders | leader2 = | formation = | ageoftga = Third Age | p1 = Miletos }} Yamato was a Third Age nation which shared borders with Libaterra in the north and Aison in the south after the Cataclysm. It was expansionistic and aggressive because the Landpoison was slowly contaminating the land, which forced the Yamatians to seek the fertile soils of other lands. This eventually led to the Yamatian Invasion and the following Great War. Yamato used to be an empire which was transitioning into a shogunate until the Cataclysm when demons took over the land and named it the Grand Duchy of Yamato which was divided between four rival demon hordes. The central capital of Yamato was Kageshima, the City of Shadows, which was last ruled by Grand Duchess Nhrakate d'Zarnagon. Yamato came to an end as a nation when the Catastrophe rearranged the world and ushered in the Fourth Age, making the Yamatian landmass connect with the new Northern Continent. History Origins :See: Ryuugumi, Miletos The world changed after the Explosion which rearranged the old continents and began the Third Age. The old continent of Miletos suffered the most as various parts of it sunk in the ocean and the few bits that still remained turned into an archipelago in the eastern part of the world. The Ryuugumi people, who had lived in Grandbell, found their homes lost in the Explosion. Not long after the catastrophe, there was a massive uprising against the "ethnically distinct" parts of Grandbell. The Ryuugumi, who had been viewed with suspicion ever since the actions of the Ryuugumi sorcerer Taro Ofuchi, were eventually expelled from their lands in Grandbell in the chaotic after years of the Explosion and were forced to sail away. The survivors who made it to landfall on one of the lost and forsaken islands that had once been Miletos were the hardiest of the Ryuugumi, and the smartest. The strong must survive, and the Ryuugumi had done so, and been transformed by hardship into what they themselves called the superior race: the Yamatians. Some Ryuugumi, however, had remained behind in what was to become Remon to rebuild their once thriving civilization although they remained in small clans. The Ryuugumi who sailed away to the archipelago which had once been Miletos quicky took over the islands and named them collectively as Yamato in honour of their ancestors. Many Yamatian warrior clans eventually grouped under the banner of the Ofuchi Clan and forced neighbouring Yamatian clans as well as the native peoples of the island to submit under them one by one over the following centuries, forming the First Yamato Empire led by an Emperor from the Ofuchi Clan. Some families such as the Hyuga Clan were less than happy to see an Ofuchi on the throne but they decided to bide their time and serve the emperors for the time being, and their loyalty eventually gave them the rank of Shogun, the Emperor's right-hand men and generals. Many Yamatian clans openly defied the Emperor's troops, however, and kept their respective islands secure and autonomous for the most part while the Ofuchi supporters spread over Tekaido, the central island. A large group consisting of the Clergy of Mardük and Chaos Dwarves arrived at Yamato around this time and took over one of the mineral-rich islands. Vulpengaard Keep was built on that island, and the high clerics of the Distreyd Thanadar line became the most prominent force in Yamato apart from the Shogun's and the Emperor's clans. Distreyd Era Unification Things remained calm for the next few hundred years except for a few small skirmishes as the Yamatian lords' power bases grew. During the reign of Emperor Takeshi Ofuchi in 1000 AE things began to change, however. The latest Shogun, Masamori Hyuga, was ambitious and began to openly move against the emperor. He gathered many dissidents and rebellious clans together and attacked Kageshima, the Yamatian capital. This First Battle of Kageshima ended in Emperor Ofuchi's death and the surrender of the loyalist forces to the Shogun's army. Masamori became the de facto leader of Yamato but kept the title of Shogun. He met with Distreyd Thanadar XII, the newest high cleric of Mardük, soon after the coup, and the two joined forces albeit with plans to use one another to further their separate goals. They began the Unification of Yamato and either bribed, negotiated or forced other Yamatian clans to submit under one banner. The glory years of the Yamato Empire had begun with Shogun Masamori Hyuga and High Cleric Distreyd Thanadar XII as its leaders. Since then Empire and Shogunate were used interchangeably when referring to the Yamatian nation. Expansion The Shogun soon realized that having Yamato under his control was not enough. A mysterious Landpoison had been affecting the Yamatian soil and made it infertile. The Shogun had two choices: either remain in Yamato and let the Landpoison slowly starve his people to death or expand his territories to claim more fertile land for his people. The Shogun chose the latter option, and he and Distreyd sent their forces to conquer the neighbouring kingdoms in what became known as the Yamatian Invasion. Unbeknownst to the Shogun the Landpoison had partially been caused by Distreyd XII's ancestor, Distreyd Thanadar I, and that Distreyd XII was manipulating the Shogun with the Landpoison to further his own dark goals. The Yamatian Invasion took the other kingdoms by surprise, and the blitzkrieg tactics of Yamato and the Clergy of Mardük were a success. One kingdom after another fell under the Yamatian yoke, and Yamatians and dark clerics placed bakufus to govern their new provinces. Soon only Aison remained unconquered. It was on the eve of the Aisonian invasion that the Shogun mysteriously fell ill, and Distreyd XII became the de facto leader of the Yamato Empire. Some whispered that Distreyd XII had deliberately poisoned the Shogun to take over but no one could ever prove it one way or another. This change of power did not hinder Yamatian expansionism, however, as the Yamatian forces launced an attack on Aison and took over most of it. Great War Although Yamato and the Clergy of Mardük were content, they had underestimated the will of heroes. Soon a resistance force was formed in Remon and it grew daily. This force became known as the Grand Alliance and it began a successful campaign to liberate the kingdoms. This war between the Alliance and Yamato became known as the Great War. Eventually the Grand Alliance's forces had liberated the other kingdoms and launched a counterattack on the Yamatian heartlands. Distreyd XII's sudden death, the Shogun's illness, and the general arrogance of other Yamatian commanders allowed the Alliance to reach the gates of Kageshima in 1006 AE after three rough war years. The Second Battle of Kageshima began with the Alliance soon gaining an upper hand. Before the Alliance could properly conquer the weakened Yamatian forces left in Kageshima, the dark god Mardük arrived to lend the Yamatiand and dark clerics a hand. He opened up a portal to the Demon Realm, and countless demons poured out to fight in his name. However, the sudden arrival of the Godslayer, a terrible beast, turned the tide as it devoured Mardük and the god Cardia. With Mardük gone, no one could close the portal anymore and the demons went on a mindless rampage, killing everyone in sight. The two gods' deaths caused the Cataclysm, making continents move. The Alliance quickly fled from Yamato, leaving Yamatians to deal with the rampaging demons. Godslayer Era Despite valiant resistance, Yamato was eventually overrun by demons. Kageshima remained as the capital but was now under demonic occupation. The land was divided between four major demon hordes which formed duchies and enslaved the Yamatian populace. The former empire became known as the Grand Duchy of Yamato, ruled by the demonic Grand Duchess and the four Dukes and Duchesses of the four demonic hordes. The demons remained in power for 11 years but the Second Battle of Vulpengaard Keep changed the status quo a bit when a Yamatian resistance manage to rob the demons from their regenerative powers with the help of magic. Demons still largely outnumber Yamatians but various freedom fighters such as the Akai Tora, Black Hunters and Blue Dragon pirates continued to harrass the demons while hoping to liberate Yamato and its people from demonic oppression someday. The Northern Horde began a campaign to conquer Libaterra in late Third Age. After the Battle of Vanna, the horde controlled Vanna and the entire desert region of Southern Libaterra which was formerly owned by the Sultanate of Karaganda. The hordes attempted to invade the Magicracy of Alent in the Battle of Alent, ultimately succeeding it, although they simultaneously suffered a major loss against the united human resistance known as the Justice League in the Battle of Hephaisteion. Emboldened by their victory, the Yamatian rebels continued a successful campaign against the demons who were mysteriously weakened at the end of the Battle of Alent. The conflicts came to a halt when the Catastrophe struck and ushered the rearranging world into the Fourth Age. The Yamatian landmass drifted north, eventually crashing into what became known as the Northern Continent. Demons lost hold of Yamato and focused their efforts on building a new empire north. What became of Yamato remains unknown although it's assumed that the rebels founded a new nation to leave Yamato's dark past behind and to stand defiant against demons should they ever try to invade the land of the Rising Sun again. Geography :See: Yamato Map (Distreyd Era), World Map (Godslayer Era) Yamato shared borders with Libaterra in the north and Aison in the south. Its climate changed from warm to cold thanks to the winds from the seas. The landscape was rather harsh because of the demon influence, but there were nevertheless some untouched forests, mountains and rivers which kept some of Yamato's nature intact as the land slowly healed itself. The archipelago was rich with minerals and had various beautiful yet treacherous reefs for sailors to navigate. Regions The regions of Yamato were: *Falgorn *Jihao *Merrow Depths *Nabatsu *Tekaido Demographics 11 years after the Cataclysm, Yamato's main population consisted of humans and demons. However, other races could also be found there, most notably a diminishing number of elves and dwarves who had spread throughout the land but also the kitsune who dwelled solely in Kitsune Mori. Human cultures were mainly divided between Yamatian, Shang and Bharata clans but the latter two were a minority compared to the more populous Yamatians. Demons also had several clans in the land since the Cataclysm, both aping and differentiating themselves from human clans. Geopolitics After the Cataclysm, Yamato was taken over by four rival demon hordes, each ruled by a Duke or a Duchess. Central power lay in Kageshima and on the throne of the Grand Duchess who nevertheless had little to no authority over the other demons and was merely seen as a sort of mediator figure between the rival hordes. Despite the demons' dominion over Yamato, several resistance forces formed throughout the land although they waged a desperate guerrilla war against the superior demon forces. Yamato's centre of power still lay in Kageshima, located in the heart of the land, although it had lost much of its influence as the four demon hordes' power grew rapidly over the years since the Cataclysm. Demon Hordes Eastern Horde :Leader: Duchess Vaetris L'andariel, the Deceiver :Dreadlord/lady: n/a The Eastern Horde consisted of primarily female demons and their willful male slaves who were led by Duchess Vaetris L'andariel in the Duchy of Eastern Yamato. They focused on quick and agile combat and used deception and their intoxicating pheromones as their weapons. The horde's capital was Shippuu. Northern Horde :Leader: Duke Malphas d'Xuvadon, the Devourer :Dreadlord: Count Ronove Thanadar The Northern Horde consisted of bloodthirsty demon warriors as well as several human, dwarven and elven traitors who were led by Duke Malphas d'Xuvadon in the Duchy of Northern Yamato. The horde had no fixed capital as its forces were constantly on the move. They moved north to Libaterra in 1017 AE and participated in the Battle of Vanna during which they took over Vanna and Tronin Desert. Vanna acted as the horde's base of operations while they prepare their forces to move north to the fertile Heartlands, which eventually culminated in the Battle of Alent. The horde also had a sizable following among the remnants of the Clergy of Mardük and Chaos Dwarves. Southern Horde :Leader: Duchess Nina Heeate L'andariel, the Defiler :Dreadlord/lady: n/a The Southern Horde consisted of various demon mages who were led by Duchess Nina Heeate L'andariel in the Duchy of Southern Yamato. The horde's capital was Hyama. Since 1017 AE, it came under the influence of the Eastern Horde after Vaetris's sister Nina from the East took over. Western Horde :Leader: Duke Pazuzu, the Diviner :Dreadlady: Countess Naamah The Western Horde consisted of various demons, ranging from warriors to mages and merchants as well as various Yamatian traitors who were led by Duke Pazuzu in the Duchy of Western Yamato. The horde's capital was Oreinashi. It was among the wealthiest hordes in Yamato as many of its demons preferred to live in luxury and use slaves to build extravagant palaces. Non-Demon Territories The following territories weren't under demon rule, and they operated independently from one another: Kitsune Mori :Faction: Kitsune :Leader(s): Unknown Kitsune Mori, located in the forest south of Shippuu, was populated by kitsune, mysterious fox demons, who rarely ventured outside their labyrinthine home. Little was known of this race and the mysterious forest they dwelled in other than that they were no allies of current demon overlords of Yamato. Despite wielding demonic magic, they didn't seem to be directly related to any of the demon breeds as far as academics were concerned. Thus kitsune leadership and numbers remained unknown. Merrow Depths :Faction: Merrows :Leader(s): Emperor Nootaikok and Empress Nerrivik Merrow Depths was an area deep in the Yamatian ocean which was populated by merrows, an aquatic race. These merfolk were ruled from the grand underwater city of Adlivun by a royal couple generally referred to as the Emperor and Empress of Depths. Merrows had stayed in the safety of the ocean for generations, and their existence was heavily debated even among experienced sailors, some of whom claimed to have seen glimpses of "mermaids" during voyages. Shipwreck Cove :Faction: Blue Dragon :Leader(s): Pirate King Kuro Tori The Blue Dragon pirates, led by Pirate King Kuro Tori, lived in the Shipwreck Cove which was located betwixt Oreinashi and Kageshima. The pirates relocated there after the Cataclysm destroyed their other hideout. They mainly opposed the Western Horde...not out of altruism but because the horde's navy hindered their pirating business. The Cove was in a secret location in a calvera, which made it hard even for demons to find and which was why it remained safe from invasion until the end of the Third Age when the Western Horde launched an assault on it. It was a home for thieves and cutthroats and had many treacherous reefs which had sunk many inexperienced and even experienced sailors over the years. Vulpengaard Keep :Factions: Akai Tora and Forgotten :Leader(s): Shogun Hiroshi Takamoto and High Cleric Alathor Vulpengaard Keep, located in Southern Yamato betwixt Hyama and New Molson, was once the headquarters of the Clergy of Mardük but fell to demon hands after the Cataclysm. The Akai Tora and the Forgotten took over the keep after the Second Battle of Vulpengaard Keep and used it as their base of operations against the demon hordes. The Akai Tora, led by Shogun Hiroshi Takamoto, consisted of former Yamatian imperialists and other guerrilla forces of the region who wished to liberate Yamato from demons and perhaps even restore Yamato to its former imperial glory. The Forgotten, led by High Cleric Alathor, were a splinter group from the Clergy of Mardük who had remained true to the god Mardük's original teachings and believed that the current Clergy of Mardük had lots its way. The Akai Tora and the Forgotten joined forces because they believed they could benefit from each other and because they shared the same goal: liberate Yamato from demons. Others Other demon-opposing factions also appeared in Yamato albeit in no fixed locations. The most notable ones were the Black Hunters, an organization based in New Molson in Aison who regularly ventured into Southern Yamato to save non-demon prisoners and slaughtered demon patrols. The Black Hunters were led by Commander Yousei Kaizoku. Relations Yamato grew increasingly hostile over the years until the Yamatian Invasion when the Empire invaded the other kingdoms Aison, Libaterra, Maar Sul, Scundia and Remon. This eventually led to the Great War which ended up ravaging Yamato. The demons' invasion of the empire's land and the enslavement of the populace further changed the balance of power. After the Cataclysm, things remained the same for the most part. Yamato was seen as an even more dangerous place than before thanks to its new demon overlords. Demons were interested in conquering the other kingdoms, which eventually led to several devastating battles such as the Battles of Vanna and Alent. See also *Demon *Gate of Darkness *Kageshima *Landpoison of Yamato *Ryuugumi *Unification of Yamato *Vulpengaard Keep *World Map (Godslayer Era) *Yamatian Invasion *Yamato Map (Distreyd Era) Category:Third Age nations * Category:Yamato Empire